Chapter 13 Celestine's Secret
Tiara’s back still burned from the Trial of the Luna, but she barely noticed. Every step through the shadowed corridors of the Alpha House felt like walking on knives. Whispers echoed from the stone walls—wolves gossiping about the silver-eyed Luna who shouldn’t exist.
A sudden voice cut through the tension, sharp yet controlled. “Tiara.”
She froze mid-step. Luna Celestine, the matriarch herself, glided out of the darkness. The silver threads in her braid caught the torchlight, framing her expression like a portrait of cold authority. Her eyes, those same piercing orbs locked onto Tiara with a weight that made the air heavy.
Celestine didn’t wait for an introduction. Her voice dropped to a low, dangerous hum.
“Do you know why your existence terrifies some of the council?”
Tiara’s stomach knotted. She had expected anger, threats, even death. But not… conversation.
“Because I passed the trial?” she asked cautiously, voice tight.
Celestine’s lips twitched, almost a smile. “No, child. You terrify them because you are not weak. You carry power more than you understand. More than they can control.”
Tiara’s pulse raced. “I—I don’t understand.”
Celestine stepped closer, her gaze unflinching. “Most think a Luna can stand against a pack, wielding influence in ceremonies and councils. Few ever see the blood of an Alpha in a breeder. Fewer still survive long enough to awaken it.”
The words hit Tiara like a blade. Her jaw went slack. “Blood… of an Alpha?”
“Yes.” Celestine’s voice softened just enough to make her seem human, almost… maternal. “Your father was once Alpha of a great pack. He was dethroned, exiled, and erased from history before you were born.”
Tiara’s mind spun. Memories flashed of her father, fragments of a man she barely remembered, love and pride clouded by fear and absence. “My father… Alpha?”
“Not just any Alpha,” Celestine said. “A leader capable of commanding the loyalty of all who followed him. But threats arose, and those jealous of his strength took everything from him including you.”
Tiara’s hands clenched into fists. Anger surged, hot and raw, mingling with the fear she had carried her whole life. “And no one told me?”
Celestine’s eyes softened slightly. “Because you were hidden. Protected. But that protection has limits.”
A shiver ran down Tiara’s spine. “Limits…?”
Celestine’s gaze darkened. “Many want you dead not because you are weak, but because you are powerful.”
Tiara’s breath hitched. For the first time, someone who should have been an enemy seemed… protective. “You—why aren’t you telling them? Why aren’t you exposing me?”
Celestine’s lips curved into a shadow of a smile. “Because I see what they do not. You are not a threat to the pack. They see a breeder who broke rules. I see an Alpha who will change everything.”
Tiara’s head spun. Her heart thundered, partly with fear, partly with disbelief. “You… you’re protecting me?”
Celestine’s gaze sharpened. “Do not mistake my words for alliance. I protect those who awaken power they cannot yet control. If you survive, it will be because you learn quickly and because I allow it.”
Tiara’s wolf stirred in response, silver fire licking beneath her skin, craving guidance. She could feel the bond with Damien tightening, a pulse of warning and desire.
Speaking of which, a familiar, frustrated growl drifted faintly through her mind. Damien. His anger was palpable, and yet… restrained.
He must have overheard part of the conversation.
“Tiara,” Celestine said sharply, “do you understand the danger you are in?”
Tiara swallowed, nodding despite the lump in her throat. “I think… I think I do.”
Celestine leaned closer, voice dropping even further. “Listen to me. Your awakening is not just about power. It is about survival. Your father’s enemies are still out there. And your bond… your mate bond… it makes you a target they would kill to sever.”
Tiara’s chest tightened. She could feel Damien’s presence more acutely now. Her pulse synced with his, and heat spread through her body. “Then… I have to be careful,” she whispered.
Celestine’s gaze lingered on her, assessing, weighing. “Careful is not enough. You must be ready. You must embrace the strength you were born with.”
Tiara shivered under the weight of her words. Her wolf whispered softly inside her, silver eyes blinking in visions of a crown, of blood, of wolves kneeling before her.
“What if I fail?” she asked quietly.
“You will not,” Celestine replied firmly. “But know this—your greatest danger will not be from outsiders. It will come from those who claim loyalty while plotting your demise.”
A sudden sound shattered the tense air—a loud crash from the outer gates. Tiara jumped. Her silver aura flared faintly without her control. Celestine’s eyes narrowed instantly.
Rushing steps, snarls, and the thump of heavy paws echoed through the halls. A rogue wolf had broken into the pack territory.
Tiara’s wolf stirred violently, instinct screaming. The bond with Damien pulsed like fire, thrumming warning and anticipation.
Through the door, a figure emerged from the shadows. Muscles taut, fur glinting in the torchlight, and eyes that glimmered with recognition. Not a stranger.
“Tiara… Alpha Tiara,” the rogue growled, voice low and fierce.
Tiara froze. Her heart stuttered. The rogue knew her true name. Her Alpha name.
Celestine’s hand moved, almost as a shield between Tiara and the intruder. “So the game begins,” she murmured.
Tiara’s mind raced. The pack was no longer just a trial, no longer just whispers and council intrigues. Her true enemies had arrived. And they knew who she was.
Damien’s bond flared violently. She could feel him, tasting his anger, his fear, and the desperate need to protect her, all at once.
Her wolf stirred, silver eyes blazing, responding to the intruder. A low growl echoed in her throat that was not fully human nor fully wolf.
The rogue’s gaze sharpened. “Alpha Tiara,” he repeated, stepping closer, claws scraping against stone. “They’ve hidden you too long. It’s time the pack knows your blood, and it’s time you rise.”
Tiara’s knees felt weak, but her chest flared with the fire of inheritance, the Alpha power that had been dormant for so long.
Celestine’s voice cut through the tension, sharp as steel:
“Do not trust appearances. Observe. Learn. Survive.”
Tiara’s hands clenched, pulse racing, silver fire spilling into her vision. Her wolf’s whisper rang clear and commanding: “Rise.”
And in that instant, everything changed.
The rogue stepped close
r, eyes locked on hers, and uttered a word that made her entire body freeze:
“Tiara… my Alpha.”